


Wanna Bet?

by Lady_Slytherin



Category: Lovely Little Losers
Genre: F/F, Karaoke, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 16:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7229377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Slytherin/pseuds/Lady_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's karaoke night when Jaquie and Meg decide to make a bet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wanna Bet?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AccioInvisibilityCloak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccioInvisibilityCloak/gifts).



> Written for a prompt fill on tumblr.

Jaquie played with her shot glass, not ready to drink until Meg did. She kept trying to catch the other girl’s eye, hoping to convey that she was ready, but it didn’t work. Meg was busy looking over her shoulder at Peter and Costa.

“Everything okay?”

Meg turned back. “ _I’m_ fine. I’m just still a bit worried about Peter. How do you think he’s doing? He seems better than the last few times we’ve all gone out, right?”

Jaquie looked across the room at Peter, who was getting up on the stage with Costa. She loved karaoke night at Navarre, those two always made such idiots of themselves. “Yeah, you’re right,” Jaquie said. “I bet he’ll even be dating again soon.”

“I don’t know,” Meg said. “He was pretty upset when Balthy said things weren’t working. I think it’ll be a little while.”

“Wanna bet?” Jaquie asked, tilting her head to where Peter and Costa had begun to sing a duet. It only took her a few bars to recognize it as _Light My Candle_ from Rent. (Although really, Costa should _not_ be the one singing Mimi’s part, what was he _thinking?_ Peter was way more of a Mimi. Actually, come to think of it, no. Neither of them should be singing that part.)

Meg followed her gaze. “You think he and Costa are going to get together?”

“I mean, Costa’s been in love with him for over a year now. And now that what’s-his-face—”

“Balthazar.”

“Yeah, him. Now that he’s out of the picture, Peter has no reason _not_ to date Costa. They’ve got a lot in common.” Not to mention Costa’s embarrassing year-long crush on Peter that had culminated in lots of ice cream eaten on the floor of her bedroom. _I hope I’m never that obvious about anything,_ Jaquie thought, eyes flicking to Meg momentarily.

“Yeah, but Peter and Balth have only been broken up for three weeks,” Meg said. “Peter stays hung up on people way longer than that. I’m not saying he won’t have sex any time soon, but he’s obviously not going to make a move on Costa unless it actually means something, there too good of friends for that.

“Okay,” Jaquie said. “Let’s bet, then. If Peter and Costa kiss by the end of the night, I win. If not, you do. Loser has to go up and sing whatever song the winner picks.”

Meg raised her eyebrows. “You’re on, Manders.” 

“Let’s drink to it.”

They picked up their tequila shots and downed them. Jaquie quickly bit into a lime, and handed one to Meg so she could do the same. _God, she’s beautiful,_ Jaquie thought, then quickly berated herself for being so cheesy.

They spent the evening alternatively taking shots and watching Peter and Costa, who kept getting up to sing and showed absolutely no inclination to return to their table. Jaquie had to suppress laughter as Costa loudly applauded every song Peter did. She had this in the bag.

It finally happened after Costa finished singing that new Adele song. He hit the last high note, got off the stage, and was swiftly pulled off to the side by Peter. After a moment, Jaquie turned to Meg, trying to think of an appropriately biting comment to make when she’d so clearly won. 

“I win!” Meg yelled. 

“What are you talking about?” Jaquie asked. “They’re kissing. That means _I_ win.”

“Nuh-uh!” Meg said. “You said they’d kiss by the end of the night. It is exactly—” she held up her phone “—twelve oh four. It’s not still the same night anymore.”

Jaquie swore. “That was a technicality!” she said.

“I still win!” Meg did a little dance in her seat. “But just to be fair, since it _was_ a close call, we can have someone else pick the song. Costa!” she called.

Jaquie groaned. “Are you really interrupting them right now?”

“What? I’m saving them from the inevitable post make-out discussion about feelings. You _know_ Peter is going to start in on that as soon as they stop. I’m rescuing him from himself. Costa!”

Peter and Costa separated, Peter shooting Meg a glare. Costa bounded over to their table. “Yes, Margaret?”

Meg wrinkled her nose, but didn’t comment on the use of her full name. She passed him the book of song choices. “Jaquie’s gonna get up there. Will you help pick something for her to sing?”

“I’d be delighted to!” Costa sat down next to Jaquie and began to page through it. “Let’s see—well, I’m sure you heard Peter’s _phenomenal_ rendition of _Twenty-two,_ perhaps you’d like something—”

“I’m not singing Taylor Swift,” Jaquie said firmly. The line had to be drawn somewhere.

“Why not?” Costa demanded.

“For starters, I’m an alto, so her songs aren’t even on my range.”

“You could just ask for a key change,” Peter suggested, sliding into the booth on Meg’s side. Jaquie experience a flash of jealously that he go to be so close to her.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Costa said.

Meg shot Jaquie a glance that was somewhere between amusement and sympathy. “Maybe you should keep looking,” she suggested.

“Let me see the book,” Peter said, sliding it over to his end of the table. Costa leaned halfway out of his seat and tried to continue reading it upside down.

Jaquie caught Meg’s eye. The boys were being ridiculous, and there was such an _obvious_ solution to the sharing the book problem. Not that she was going to mention it. It’d be way more fun to see the other ridiculous ways Costa tried to make it work. Except—

Well, it _would_ be really nice to sit next to Meg.

Jaquie was spared having to make the suggestion herself by Peter, who seemed to have just realized the solution. “Jaquie, trade with me so Costa and I can both see the book,” he said.

She nodded and got up, pretending to herself that the sudden dryness in her throat was the dehydration from the tequila shots. She switched seat with Peter, and found herself hip to hip with Meg. Jaquie poured herself some water, swallowing it so quickly that a little bit went down her chin. 

“What about this one?” Peter asked, pointing. Oh great, her future was in the hands of two guys who thought that ABBA was great music. This wasn’t going to end well.

Costa shook his head vigorously. “Too little emotional scope for an actress of such fine abilities.”

“Says the guy who cast me in a non-speaking role in a play with only five cast members,” Jaquie muttered.

Meg’s lips quirked upward. “I thought you were really good as Helen of Troy,” she said. Jaquie had to lean in to hear her over the sound of the person who had just started singing. “You were very… aristocratic. Your hair and makeup were on point, anyway.” Her breath tickled Jaquie’s ear as she spoke. 

“Shut up.”

Meg just winked at her.

“What about _I’m a Believer?_ ” Peter asked. 

Jaquie glared at him suspiciously. “Was in that in the movie Shrek?”

“I think so.”

“Then no. I’m vetoing any song that has ever appeared in a movie for kids.”

Meg laughed. Her knee bumped against Jaquie’s under the table, then stayed there, sending a tingly feeling up Jaquie’s leg. For the next few minutes, all she could do was focus on the feeling, wondering when Meg was going to realize what was happening and pull away. 

“I’ve got it!” Peter said. He passed the song book to Jaquie. She moved over to look, accidentally and maybe a little bit on purpose leaning even closer to Meg. 

“Shut Up and Dance?”

“It’s the one that’s always on the radio when we’re working. You’ve sung along to it about a million times.”

“It’s impossible to sing the same song a million times,” Jaquie informed him. She looked at the list again. Honestly, this song wasn’t so bad. She knew she could follow the key, and it was much less embarrassing than anything Costa or Meg would have picked for her. “I’ll do it, though.”

She went to the front to sign up. The bar was fairly empty tonight, and Jaquie only had to wait out two songs until she was able to go up. When she got on stage, she could see her friends in the audience. Meg was grinning at her.

The music started, and Jaquie looked at the screen with the lyrics. “Oh don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me, I said you’re holding back, she said ‘shut up and dance with me.’”

Meg had gotten up, and was dancing by herself in the middle of the room. This wasn’t really the sort of song people danced to, but she looked great doing it anyway. Jaquie almost missed one of her cues because of how hard she’d been watching her.

“Deep in her eyes, I think I see the future, I realize this is my last chance.”

Jaquie wasn’t sure how she managed to finish the song, when she wished that she was down there, dancing with Meg. But somehow she did, and when it ended, she walked off the stage to a decent amount of applause, and probably an embarrassing amount from Peter and Costa.

When she reached the dance floor. Meg threw her arms around her. “You were wonderful,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I didn’t know you could sing like that.”

“I have to keep a few of my many talents secret, don’t I?” Jaquie said. It wasn’t her best comeback, but to be fair, she’d been distracted. She hugged Meg back, realizing that this was the closest together they’d ever been. 

“Can I please kiss you?” Meg asked, and Jaquie’s heart stopped. 

“If you must,” she said, moving her hands to Meg’s hair and pulling her down so that their lips met. Meg tasted like bottom-shelf tequila and something else, one of those stupid magical things that belonged to evenings out with friends. Meg’s hands gripped her waist firmly, pulling her even closer.

It wasn’t until Peter’s wolf-whistle that they broke apart, and as they returned to the table, Jaquie could distinctly hear him tell Costa, “Pay up.”


End file.
